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Está enferma, not es enferma: ser vs estar when someone is sick

A slip most learners can spot on paper and still make out loud.

You said
Ella es enferma hoy.
What it means: She is a sickly person today. (odd)
A local says
Ella está enferma hoy.
She's sick today.
Why: Being sick is temporary, so it takes estar.
Explaining a friend's absence
No viene. Ella es enferma hoy.
¿Es enferma? ¿De qué?

Hoy is the giveaway. Anything that's true today and might not be tomorrow takes estar: está enferma, está cansada, está ocupada, está en casa. Ser enfermo, when you hear it at all, means someone is chronically ill or an invalid; it's a description of the person, not the day.

The reason this one survives the textbook is speed. In conversation, English "she is" arrives as a single unit and the nearest Spanish is es. The fix is to attach the mood-and-condition words to estar as a chunk when you learn them: estar enfermo, estar cansado, estar listo, so the verb comes with the adjective instead of being chosen on the fly.

Two neighbours worth knowing: se siente mal (she feels unwell) is what people actually say most, and está malita, with the diminutive, is the affectionate version you'll hear in Mexico.

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Also worth knowing

SpanishEnglish
Se siente mal, no viene.She's not feeling well, she's not coming.
Estoy ocupado ahorita.I'm busy right now.
¿Estás en casa?Are you home?

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